Founding guitarist Neal Schon has taken aim at long-time keyboardist Jonathan Cain on social media, even as the band continues a previously announced tour with Asia. They memorably disagreed about the direction of Journey's last album, and on whether they should record a follow up, but these comments point to new fractures within the band.

“I want to be elevated by whom I play with, not feel like I've got cement shoes," Schon said yesterday via Instagram. "If anyone is unhappy they are not running my band, then they should leave."

Schon did not offer an official comment when contacted by Ultimate Classic Rock for this story; Journey's band representative hasn't yet responded. We will update this story when new information arrives.

More recently, Cain has established a tandem career in solo faith music after marrying Paula White-Cain, a minister who delivered the invocation at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Schon indicates that this has become a point of contention.

"I've stated how I felt about mixing religion and politics and how our music is not of one religion - Democratic or Republican," Schon said in the same Instagram update. "This is and has been an issue with myself Mr. Cain and his now wife, since he married. I've had to fight this whole time to protect the brand I built with Steve Perry, way before Gregg and I picked Cain to replace himself when he wanted to retire from the road back then. Well frankly, I'm tired of having to defend all by my self. [Fellow co-founding Journey member] Ross [Valory] is no help."

By then, Schon had already asserted his own foundational role by changing his Twitter handle to "Neal Schon's JRNY." "As Jon Cain said to me when we started to rebuild: You have keys and you are the main member," Schon said yesterday. "Convenient amnesia; I still have the keys." He also retweeted a series of fan messages underlining his own arguments. "I'm not the problem," Schon added, in another tweet.

Journey's most recent studio effort was 2011's Eclipse, a more guitar-oriented effort that debuted at No. 13 but failed to replicate their million-selling success of 2008's Revelation, also with Pineda. Cain made it clear that he felt the musical shift was a mistake in 2013 – calling Eclipse “a departure. It was Neal's 'I wanna do one this way once' — and so we did. We did a heavy, rock n’ roll record. And it kinda wasn’t received very well here in the states."

Cain later said was unsure whether they should ever record another full-length album, sparking a memorable retort from Schon in 2015: "It's like pulling teeth," he said. Schon has since shifted his focus, working with both present and past members of Journey on solo albums and a reunion with the early-'70s lineup of Santana.

How all of this ultimately impacts the future of the band remains unclear. Already announced concert dates – including tonight's show at Tulsa, Okla., where it's been proclaimed Neal Schon Day in honor of the state's native son – are continuing. But Schon is hinting at changes down the road, including a possible reunion with former Bad English bandmate John Waite.

"I continue to grow and be completely creative and want to take the band Neal Schon's JRNY on an exciting new trip musically," he said, via the earlier Instagram post. "Yes, we will always have all hits to play, but there must be musical growth also. I also need to surround myself with people that care as I do."